via The Conversation | After a pause of a few months, the world’s leading central banks are “printing” money again to try to bolster their economies. Commonly known as quantitative easing or QE, the European Central Bank (ECB) resumed its programme just before the turn of the year. The backdrop is lukewarm growth, a looming recession in Germany, and persistent fears of Japanese-style deflation.
Caixin | The 2008 global financial crisis thrust Ben Bernanke into the spotlight as his every move drew unprecedented attention, scrutiny continued until he stepped down as chairman of the U.S. Federal Reserve in 2014.
UBS analysts explain some key aspects of Fed’s challenging task starting in September.
NEW YORK | By Ana Fuentes | As the Fed begins its last meeting of the year, the question is making big headlines and debates in the U.S. this week: Will the central bank start to wind down its $85 billion a month in asset purchases before or after March? The majority of economists were not expecting the Federal Reserve to leave QE before March. But the good data coming from China, the U.S. and Europe might be a game changer. [Video: CMC Markets]
LONDON | By Michael Pond and Chirag Mirani at Barclays | Some at the Fed believe that a higher inflation target could be a good strategy, though one that is difficult to communicate. Instead, in our view, it has an implicit near-term tolerance for above-target inflation; forward breakevens should be higher as a result.
THE CORNER | As expected, U.S. President Barack Obama appointed Janet Yellen as the Federal Reserve’s next leader, the first woman in the 100-year-history of the central bank. Among her first words: “More needs to be done to strengthen the recovery,” even though progress has been made, and: “too many Americans still cannot find a job and worry how they will pay their bills and provide for their families.” Were those hints about how she will deal with QE? Although she is considered a dove, some analysts believe that is a bit overstated. Anyway Obama called her “tough”, joking that it was not just because she was born in Brooklyn.
SAO PAULO | By Marcus Nunes | ‘Uncertainty’ is getting more and more attention. John Taylor is a great supporter, so much so that a while back I did a post with the title “Taylor´s Uncertainty Principle”, and argued that what was really keeping the recovery back was the “on and off” decisions by the Fed.
WASHINGTON | By Jeff Madrick via The Next New Deal | Wall Street has responded well to Summers’s withdrawal, but Main Street would also be better off without an inflation hawk leading the Federal Reserve.
